n 1942, a film starring Bing Crosby, Fred Astaire, and Marjorie Reynolds hit the silver screen. A show-businessman (Crosby) retires and buys an inn, where every holiday, even President’s Day, is paid tribute with festive décor, a fine dinner, and, of course, singing and dancing. The film’s name is Holiday Inn, and not only is it a classic, it’s an inspiration. Most hoteliers know that to entice guests during the holidays, they have to channel old Bing’s classic hotel—in one way or another.

“If your hotel restaurant can’t sell out on Thanksgiving, you should probably shut down,” says Steve Reinke, director of special events at Atlanta’s Château Élan Winery & Resort. Kicking off the winter holiday season with a bang, Château Élan’s Versailles restaurant sees 800 diners throughout Turkey Day. Director of Restaurants Chris Senden believes that’s due not only to the expansive buffet of gourmet comfort food but to the festive environs in which the food is presented.

“Our buffet is set around the perimeter of a beautiful water fountain, in the center of our three-story atrium,” Senden says. “When guests walk down the staircase into the room, they see flower arrangements in the colors of fall leaves; tied wheat shafts in cylindrical pottery vases; ice sculptures of turkeys and cornucopia standing in the fountain; smaller, tiered fountains in addition to the main one; and colorful gourds, pumpkins, and squash. Tables made with glass platforms over rustic wine barrels support all the eye-catching food itself.”

The buffet features items such as shrimp cocktail and caviar, along with assorted salads like the Roasted Pumpkin Kebabs over Mixed Greens, as well as soups, including Sweet Potato and Parsnip Bisque. A carving station hosts the traditional turkey served with giblet gravy and cranberry-orange relish, as well as a Horseradish and Herb-Crusted Prime Rib. Other entrées include Zucchini-Wrapped Grouper with Butternut Squash Hash and Blood Orange Beurre Blanc and Guava Glazed Chicken Breast with Fig Sauce. Creative spins on traditional sides include Roasted Elephant Garlic Whipped Potatoes and Rice Pilaf with Candied Pecans, Vegetables, and Fresh Herbs.

“The holiday fun doesn’t end with Thanksgiving Day,” says Senden. “We have our annual Lighting of the Château celebration on the following day, with hot dogs, hamburgers, caramel apples, and hot cocoa [for nominal fees]. Kids come and decorate their own sugar cookies with the help of chefs and then watch Santa and the Grinch arrive in a red convertible. At sunset, Santa stands on the balcony and turns on the lights that decorate the château. Then we have a fireworks display to top it all off—kids love it.”

After Thanksgiving, many properties gear up for December holidays, decorating their function rooms and restaurants to embrace the season and also to draw clients for holiday parties. The Seaport Boston Hotel has a unique meeting space that accommodates up to 5,000 people for trade shows and large exhibitions; each holiday season, they decorate it with a theme.

“Last year it was ‘Neighborhoods of Boston,’” says Marianna Accomando, VP of sales. “Holiday parties with a minimum of 500 guests found themselves wandering through tree-lit, snowcovered sets of Beacon Hill, North End, Chinatown, Charlestown, and, of course, Seaport.”

Chef Richard Rayment crafted menus to match each neighborhood. For instance, Beacon Hill, with its life-size replicas of Federal-style row houses (complete with carolers), featured a menu of Stuffed Pork Loin, Beef Tenderloin, and Mushroom Wellingtons. North End featured Italian restaurants and other storefronts, with dishes like Shrimp Scampi over Tri-colored Orzo and Farfalle with Chicken, Mushrooms, and Artichokes.

“The Seaport set had a huge replica of the USS Constitution, which is stationed here in Boston. We served crab cakes, clam chowder in paper cones, popcorn shrimp, and a mini slider bar—eat-andgo types of food,” says Accomando. “We even recreated the Public Gardens of Boston with a faux ice skating rink, park benches, and ice sculptures fashioned after human statues.”

Another property that goes the distance to wow guests is Asheville, North Carolina’s Grove Park Inn. From November through January, the inn hosts the National Gingerbread House Competition and Display, attracting hundreds of contestants and thousands of admirers from across the country. The competition is fierce, especially since the winning houses are flown to New York City for display on ABC’s Good Morning America.

“The gingerbread houses are in New York for one week, but for the rest of the time, they’re on display at the hotel,” says Freda Baker, director of catering. “They are ornate, with attention paid to every little detail, and they each have their own theme. We place them in different decorated venues around the hotel. Last year, we had a Santa’s Toyshop area with trains, big building blocks, nutcrackers, and other children’s toys; a gingerbread village; and a winter scene with snowmen and snow-covered trees.”

Other beautiful decorations abound throughout the hotel, including miniature holly trees, poinsettias, wreaths, and garland. There’s a huge decorated Christmas tree in the Great Hall, and the hallway leading from there to Horizons restaurant is lined with 25 differently themed Christmas trees.

Because they’re at the heart of the season, Grove Park doesn’t leave out the kiddies in their holiday considerations. They host an annual “Major Bear” party, which has themed kid-friendly buffets, dancing (including the hokey pokey), ornament painting, and a visit from Santa Claus.

“The buffets are really cute,” Baker says. “We have stations like Reindeer Grazing [veggies, potato chips, fruits, dips], Mama Claus’s Entrées [honey-baked ham, mac ‘n’ cheese, chicken fingers, mini-pizzas], Gingerbread Lane [gingerbread men, chocolate chip cookies, mini brownies], and Frosty’s Sundae Station [ice cream bar with all the trimmings].” The party is a bargain at $22 for kids and $26 for parents, and Baker says that it’s a sell-out.

Planning events around the kids is smart from a sales perspective; the holidays revolve largely around children. But their parents also take great joy in this season, especially when they can escape the sales counters long enough to watch their kids’ wide-eyed wonder. Some hotels, like the Radnor in St. Davids, Pennsylvania (near Philadelphia), offer families this opportunity in the shape of a children’s tea.

“Our Children’s Holiday Tea is a special time,” says Anita Sayers, executive director of marketing & communications. “Grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles, and the children they love all sit down at reserved tables and enjoy a sweet tradition.”

Children are first ushered into the hotel’s Terrace Room by a toy soldier and winter fairy. They are then served scones with Devonshire cream and preserves; assorted tea sandwiches such as peanut butter and jelly, apricot cream with strawberries, and white cheddar (adults have other options); and miniature pastries, truffles, and hand-decorated sugar and gingerbread man cookies. They drink hot chocolate, hot tea, or chocolate milk from actual china teacups.

The Radnor goes to great lengths to make the day both appetizing and entertaining for kids. After tea, they gather around the winter fairy, who regales them with magical and interactive holiday stories like The Nutcracker. A piano player hands out jingle bells for the children to shake while they sing along to holiday carols. A crafts table is set up with construction paper, crayons, and markers, so they can make greeting cards for loved ones. Pictures are snapped in front of a 12-foot poinsettia tree, and, finally, on their way out, kids receive a holiday-themed book to remember the day.

One night that is all about the adults—New Year’s Eve—is celebrated with a twist at the Middlebury Inn, in the quaint little town of Middlebury, Vermont. Last December 31, the inn transformed one of its dining rooms into a theater so the local Town Hall Theater (which is undergoing renovations) could host They All Laughed: Broadway’s Funniest Songs.

“We set up 150 seats, a stage, sound system, and lighting in one of our two dining rooms,” says Randy Morris, director of F&B. “In the other one, we served a five-course dinner with wine pairings.”

The five courses included delectable choices like the Pan-Seared Crab Cake with Berry Salsa and Raspberry Ginger Butter, Roasted Game Hen with Wild Mushroom Stuffing and Sweet Corn Cream, and Grilled Red Rock Elk Medallions with Raspberry Zinfandel Sauce. After dinner, the crowd adjourned to the “theater,” while tables and chairs were cleared out of the dining area and replaced with a 12-piece band that helped folks dance the night away.

“Wearing party top hats and tiaras,” Morris says, “everyone took their Champagne to the verandah, which overlooks the town greens, and the bell tower rang in our New Year. It was a night to remember.” Memories … now that’s what Bing was really aiming for.